Sir
Why does it take a disaster like ‘the worst storm in living memory’ which ravaged our town and surroundings last Thursday for a society to stand together? The search team that went searching for the unfortunate children and doctor, comprised of folk of all colours and all walks of life. Racism did not rear its hideous head and the entire community is in mourning for the innocent casualties.
Will it also take this disaster for people living along the banks of the Steenkoolspruit and in the informal settlements and townships to realise that the debris thrown around by the wrath of the storm is unsightly and impeded the endeavours of the search parties?
Discarded litter is not only an eyesore but is a dangerous activity that should not be taken lightly as it impacts the environment in multiple ways such as: causing physical harm to people and animals, poisons the fish in the rivers, encourages pests such as mosquitoes and rats which spread disease, pollutes the environment with the emission of toxic substances, affects local tourism and its clean-up is costly to municipalities.
My wish would be to see this town stand together again, this time to clean up the unsightly mess and educate the perpetrators.
Let our legacy be to leave a cleaner and more habitable environment for our grandchildren.
Save our environment
